History of the
Rushville Public Library

By Kathleen Elizabeth Copeland

   The history of the Rushville Public Library is long, rich and full of interesting events. 


Many important milestones have occurred  in the eighty-three years since the Rushville


Public Library was created. There is a strong library in Rushville today, thanks to the long


ago generosity of  Andrew Carnegie and the hard work of the Rushville Federation of


Women .  Over the years the Rushville Public Library has progressed quite nicely.  Today


it is expanding with new technology and public support.  This library is one of the many


treasures in Rushville.  Hopefully, it will be everlasting and provide service for the


community of Rushville for another hundred years.                        


     On April 5,1878 the Rushville Public Library Association was founded.  The beginning


membership fee was three dollars and there were dues of two dollars annually.  A booklet


detailing the constitution and regulations of the association was printed in the Rushville


Times in 1884 and indicated that the collection had already grown to a 1,000  titles.  At


this time the Library Association reading room was located in a room above Vedder's


Drugstore.  Because the association was staffed by volunteers, the responsibility for


keeping the reading room open constantly fell to the same few individuals.1  So  on


December 5, 1904 the city council voted and approved the motion to look into building and


maintaining a public library.  They appointed the committee of E.S. McIllheney, John


Webster, and T.J. Noble.2  Some time later the library committee wrote an undated letter


to Andrew Carnegie asking for a library building that would cost about $ 8,000.  Andrew


Carnegie was a man who, from 1889 to 1923, donated money to cities and small towns


across the United States to build 1,679 libraries.  One hundred and six  Carnegie libraries


were built in Illinois.  To receive money from Carnegie to build a library the city had to


have a suitable building site provided and be willing to pay taxes to support the library. 


On February 2, 1906 the mayor of Rushville wrote to Carnegie asking to become one of the


funded libraries.  On February 13, 1906 James Bertram,  Andrew Carnegie's secretary,


responded with an offer of $5,000.4


 The city council accepted the gift and on February 19,1906 passed an ordiance and


resolution establishing a library in Rushville. On March 30, 1906 an election to establish a


public library  took place and  the referendum passed.  However, for some unknown 


reason no futher action was taken at this time conserning a building..  


     The Rushville Women's Federation is also one of the main reasons the library


exists.The federation was founded on February 22, 1909,  when members from five reading


clubs united together to form a group.  This organization was composed of many prominent


Rushville women.  The women  conducted a story time for younger children to come hear


various works of literature. They also provided a study club for adults.  On September 28,


1909 the Women's Federation, unaware of the previous correspondence wrote to Carnegie


asking for grant monies, Bertram wrote back and informed them that a prior offer  of $


5,000 had been made three years earlier.5


      J.C.K. Pierson, of Jacksonville, was appointed to design the library.  During this time,


to get the grant moneys, a city had to submit the architectural building plans.  Bertram


approved the plans in 1911.  Although he did not care for the skyline of the front elevation


he increased the grant moneys to $ 7,500.6


     The Women's Federation was also interested in obtaining a building site.  In  1910 the


city was given land on which to build the library.  The warranty deed shows a piece of 


land  adjacent to the square, 104 North Monroe Street was donated by Frances A. Scripps


and John L. Scripps on May 17, 1910 .7 


     While the library was being built the construction costs turned out to be higher than the


grant monies. So, to finish the library, the Women's Federation  agreed to pay $ 400 to


complete the basement.  For their generous donation the Women's Federation was given a


32x23 room in the basement in which they would hold their meetings.


     The Rushville Free Public Library was opened on  Febuary 12, 1913. Several hundred


people visited the library that day.  The Women's Federation suprised the library board  


by  


serving frappe to the visitors in their meeting room. They also arranged to have a harpist


play in the afternoon  and evening. 8


     The library occupies a space of  58x25 sq. ft..  It faces east on Monroe Street in


Rushville.  The top floor is one large room.  When it first opened in 1913 the south wing


was the adult section and the north wing was the children's department.9  Most of the


original  children's books were donated by the Women's Federation.  On the day of opening


the librarian ,Miss Beluh Hogsdon, was busy accessioning the first 1,500 volumes10 


     From 1920 to 1960 not much history was recorded.  There weren't many changes except


for librarians.  After one and a half years Nora Trimble became the assistant librarian.  She


later  became the head librarian and served until April of 1917.  Elizabeth  Bell became


the assistant  and served until  November,1917 when Rosa Jackson was hired and served 


faithfully for thirty years.


     While Rosa  Jackson was the librarian the library gained thousands of books.  One very


special donor was  a man named  Albert  Morris Bagby.  Mr. Bagby  was born in


Rushville.  From 1922 to 1941 Albert Bagby  donated  more than 2,500 books.  He also


donated  statues and paintings from foreign countries.  Mr. Bagby  died in 1941 at the age


of eighty-one.11  He was a great man whose gifts are still honored today in the library. 


Rosa  Jackson retired a few years later.                                                                               


In August 1947 Nellie Schultz was hired as the librarian, but in December she took a leave


of absence.  Kathryn Chandler was appointed and served until 1950 when another lady


named  Elizabeth Bell was was hired.  She worked until 1969, when Mary Elizabeth Cole


was engaged as the librarian.  At this time Beatrice Logan was the assistant librarian.  She


held this position until 1972 when Marjorie Bigham was employed  as the librarian.  


     The library expanded  in a variety of ways in the 1960's. In 1964  Chapter 81 of the


revised Statutes was rewritten and the Great Rivers Library System was established.  In


1967 the Rushville Public Library  joined Great Rivers Library System.  The library also


expanded physically.  In 1964 the Women's Federation moved their meeting room to the


Virgina at Scripps Park.  In 1972 the meeting room was refurbished.  Ten years later, when


the upper level became overcrowded, the juvenile department  was moved downstairs to


the meeting room.  Marjorie Bigham became the children's librarian and Linda Orstred was


appointed as the assistant librarian.  Mary Elizabeth Cole retired in 1983 after serving the


community for fourteen years.  Ms. Bigham took over for Mary Cole and Lisa Thompson


became the children's librarian.  Marjorie Bigham retired in 1985 with Brenda Eyler taking


her place. Ms. Eyler resigned in 1987. The current head librarian is Charlene Copeland


and the two assistant librarians are Sandy Bullard and Heather White.12


     Today the library is entering the age of  technology.  It has eight computers.  One of


which is on the Resource Sharing Alliance. This is a program that allows one to access


books  from surrounding libraries off a data base CD-ROM program.  Not only does the


library have a program that allows you to access books from other libraries, but it's entire


circulation system is computerized.  Every book in the library and every person who has a


library  card is catalogued on a computer database.  The library is constantly expanding. 


Today it owns over 18,000 books.  The library also currently receives over sixty different


magazines and newspapers.  Today the Rushville Public Library has many programs for the


Public.  In the summer it has a summer reading program once a week for about two months. 


It also has a pre-school story time , which lasts for eight weeks in the spring, summer, and


fall.  The library also deliveries books to the Senior Citzen's Center and to the


Homebound.  The Rushville Public Library offers many programs that enable you to read.


Hopefully people will support it and it will stay open for every one to use in the future


years.


     There are many Carnegie libraries in Illinois.  The Rushville Public Library happens to


be one of them.  The library opened on February 12, 1913.  There has been a long chain of


librarians  that gave the library exceptional help.  The Women's Federation is one of the 


main reasons the library is around today.  Over the years the library has become very


essential in the community. In 1982 the library board was given the meeting room.  Today


the library is catching up with the world in technology.  The current system makes it easier


and quicker to checkout books and accession them.  The Rushville Public Library also


offers a variety of programs  to encourage adults and their children to read. In the past


eighty years this library has made great progress. With continued support the Rushville


Public Library will continue to meet the needs of the people of  Rushville and the


surrounding community .                                                                                                                                                 


Notes





1.Bial, Raymond and Bial, Linda LaPuma. The Carnegie Library in Illinois. Urbana,     


         Illinois: University Press, 1991, 65p.





2.Rushville City Council minutes, February 19, 1906, 107p.





3. Schnell, Karen. Illinois Carnegie Libraries, from 1900-1918. Springfield, Illinois, 1993, 


           10p.





4.Bial, 65p.





5.History of the Rushville Women's Federation, Rushville, Illinois: 1983, 1p.





6.Bial, 65p.





7. The Warranty Deed to the property of 104 North Monroe Street. Rushville,    


         Illinois: 1910.





8.Rushville Times, Rushville, Illinois: February 13, 1913.





9.Pierson, J.C.K, Architectural blueprints for the Rushville Public Library, Jacksonville, 


         Illinois: 1911.





10. History of the Rushville Public Library, Rushville, Illinois: 1989, 2p.





11. Gift Book for the Rushville Public Library, 1913 to 1941  unpaged.





12. History of the Rushville Public Library, 3p.